


To Conquer All

by anglmukhii



Series: For The Sake of You [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, DANCER!YUURI, Drama, Emperor!Victor, Fluff, Intrigue, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Politics, Roman/Byzantine-ish Time Period, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-10-27 00:50:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10798293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anglmukhii/pseuds/anglmukhii
Summary: “It’s in the past. We’re here now. You’re mine and I’m yours. We’re going to get married and you’re going to rule by my side. It doesn’t matter what hurdles we’ve had to jump over, we’re here now.”Despite Victor's words. Yuuri realizes quickly that just because he is to be Victor's consort, the thick line between him and Victor's world is still very much there. Enemies are everywhere, plotting his downfall, even within the walls Victor feels they are safe in. Yuuri can either fall away again or rise up to the challenge and prove that he is more than worthy of being at Victor's side...Sequel toFor The Sake of You





	1. Prologue: Where We Stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooo~ 
> 
> I'm so sorry this took so long to get out! I know this chapter is a little short but I just wanted to set things up before I really kicked the plot into full gear. So many people were asking for it and I have finally brought it to you. I hope this delivers. I really didn't expect people to love it so much. 
> 
> This took a while because I kept rethinking what the plot to this was going to be. Historical AUs are tricky like that. And I've been catching up on historical dramas for inspiration. Anyway, I'm being a lot more flexible with this one, adding more fictional than historical events. The time period makes it a historical AU I suppose? The only similarity that Victor and Yuuri have with Justinian and Theodora is the love story essentially. Everything else is essentially fictional. A lot more characters and ships are going to be in this, I'll just tag them as I add them in. 
> 
> If you're new here, I would suggest reading the first part for this to make sense. But I do hope you enjoy this!

The sun was setting, but now couldn’t be a better time to take a dip in the hot spring. Yuuri could feel every muscle in his body relax as the heat engulfed him. A contented sigh escaped his lips as he closed his eyes and leaned back. Yeah, this is exactly what he needed. It had been so long since he could find himself alone and content.

Being the only hot spring in his small village, this time of day usually saw the most people. But there was no one here, no one at all. Victor had been there for about a week, so news spread fast. They weren’t yet married but already they were treating him like royalty. It was uncomfortable, Yuuri couldn’t deny that. Even when he was living openly as Victor’s lover at court, he hadn’t received this kind of treatment. Well obviously, an Emperor’s spouse was treated with more respect than a lover. Yuuri wasn’t stupid. The respect was only outward. He knew what people were saying about him, but he wouldn’t let anyone know what it did to him.

Back at court, they had called him a whore, a prostitute. They had accused him of bewitching the Emperor, threatening to prove it, and have him executed. He could only imagine what they would threaten to do now. His breathing hitched then, his body began trembling as the feelings of panic set in.

_Relax, don’t think about that now. Breathe Yuuri, breathe…_

He began counting, removed his thoughts from all the political strife his relationship would inevitably cause, and closed his eyes. If he was going to rule by Victor’s side, he couldn’t allow himself to keep falling apart like this. Victor had chosen him, for whatever reason, to be by his side forever. He had to be someone Victor could depend on.

He hadn’t exactly been dependable the last week though. If anything, Victor had been attending to him. It was almost laughable that the Emperor to the largest Empire the world had ever seen was nursing him back to health. It was like nothing had changed, Victor wasn’t even angry with him. He would tell him every night how much he loved him, how he couldn’t wait to marry him, and rule by his side. Yuuri could only give the smallest of smiles.

They hadn’t made love. That would have to wait until after the wedding night. It was an odd rule being imposed on them. But being Victor’s betrothed was far more different than being his lover. While Victor made his displeasure for the rule clear to anyone who would listen, Yuuri was somewhat relieved. He didn’t want Victor to see him naked until he was back to full health. He had until the still undetermined wedding date to get back to the body that he once had.

It could take weeks, months, possibly even years for that to happen. Yuuri knew his lover though. Victor would push and push for the earliest possible date. He didn’t want to wait, he wanted Yuuri to be his. If it were up to him, he would’ve whisked Yuuri away to the nearest church and gotten the job done. He was certain that Victor had considered it.

But Yuuri hadn’t taken care of himself. After he had fled Court, he had given into despair. He barely ate, he couldn’t sleep, he had overexerted himself, and he had gotten hurt more than a few times. Scars and bruises marred his previously unblemished skin. His ribs practically jutted out. He didn’t quite look like a corpse, but this wasn’t the body that Victor lavished all his love and attention on.

If Victor had noticed, he had kept mum.

“Is there room for one more?” Victor’s gentle, soothing voice asked, breaking Yuuri out of his thoughts.

He didn’t wait for Yuuri’s permission before stripping down and stepping into the heated water. Yuuri didn’t protest when he felt Victor move closer and pull him in.

“Hmm,” Yuuri hummed, a certain sense of peace that only Victor could give him, washed over him.

They didn’t say anything for the first few minutes. Victor lavished his lover in soft, almost barely there kisses. He could certainly see how much Yuuri’s collar bones jutted out. A slow, but sharp intake of breath followed.

“Have you eaten?” he finally asked.

“I have,” he answered after a moment. It had been a couple of hours, but Victor hadn’t specified.

“Mhm, is that why I can hear your stomach growling up a storm?” he teased, poking his lover’s stomach.

He instantly regretted it, however, when he felt Yuuri flinch. Ah right, Yuuri was somewhat sensitive to the touch.

“You know I hate it when you do that,” Yuuri sighed, sinking into Victor’s chest.

Victor didn’t say anything to that. He just continued to hold Yuuri close to him. Yuuri tried his hardest not to sigh too much. Victor had clung to him as if his very life depended on it. Victor was a very physical man, no one could deny that. But his affections had been almost overbearing the past week. Yuuri understood, however, so he couldn’t bring himself to be much annoyed by it. If anything, he was to blame for Victor’s current state.

But the question remained.

Why him?

 “Why do you let me do this to you?” the words accidentally slipped out. Yuuri regretted his words immediately as he bit his tongue. He had been thinking out loud. Damn it.

Yuuri felt Victor tense behind him. Yuuri didn’t say anything. This only happened when Victor was upset or angry. Why did he open his mouth? Why couldn’t he just expel these thoughts from his mind?

Oh, right. Because he put Victor before himself. Victor’s well-being and happiness was everything to him.

Yuuri squeaked as Victor gently, but rapidly turned him around. His eyes were met by Victor’s own intense gaze. Yuuri felt himself shudder.

“You’re not doing anything to me. Stop that,” his tone was almost demanding.

Victor rarely got demanding with Yuuri. He was the only person.

Yuuri broke their gaze as he looked down at the water. They needed to talk about this. They had danced around each other all week. After their emotional reunion, they hadn’t discussed it all at length. Victor was hurting, Yuuri could tell. But unlike himself, the weight of their separation hadn’t manifested physically.

“Yes I am. Or I did at least. I left you,” the words came out in a whisper, his voice cracking at the last part.

Victor shook his head, “Shh, that’s in the past. That’s in the past…”

It sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that. Victor was such an open book, Yuuri couldn’t understand what was scaring him now.

“But…” he began, only to be silenced again.

“It’s in the past. We’re here now. You’re mine and I’m yours. We’re going to get married and you’re going to rule by my side. It doesn’t matter what hurdles we’ve had to jump over, we’re here now.”

Silence fell upon them once more. Yuuri could tell that Victor was getting annoyed with the constant reminder of the months of separation.

“Things are going to be different from now on, I suppose?” Yuuri finally said, conceding. If Victor didn’t want to talk about the past, they might as well talk about their future.

Though his back was turned, Yuuri could see the smile on Victor’s face. “A lot more different. For the better. We’ll have a grand wedding. I’ll leave no stone unturned for your coronation either.”

Yuuri sucked in a breath at the idea of the impending ceremony. Sure, he was well aware that being Victor’s husband would mean being crowned his consort as well. Would that require him to take part in the politics of the Empire? Or would he simply be there for show?

The purpose of being the spouse of a ruler, traditionally, was to produce legitimate heirs. Victor had been expected to take a wife up until now who would give him children.

Yuuri couldn’t do that. He could never do that.

“You have that look on your face, Yuuri.”

Yuuri blinked. Right, Victor was still there. Yuuri’s emotions had a tendency to show on his face, no matter how hard he tried to conceal them.

“What? I’m thinking,” Yuuri shrugged.

He placed a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth, “Thinking about what?”

Yuuri gave him the smallest smile Victor had ever seen, “Just how crazy everything is. When I came to the capital all those years ago, I never dreamed for a moment that I would even get to lay eyes on you, let alone end up in your bed. What were the odds of all this?”

Victor found himself smiling fondly at the memories. Meeting Yuuri had been his most cherished memory. One of them anyway.

“It was fate. God brought you right to me. We can’t anger Him now, can we?”

Yuuri was about to say something, but Victor captured his mouth in a kiss. Yuuri was a bit taken aback by it at first, but he slowly kissed back, falling back into their old rhythm. He moved up on Victor’s lap, shifting the position so that Yuuri could deepen the kiss.

Victor never said it, but it drove him mad when Yuuri took control like this. They had been together for months, in which time Yuuri had learned and mastered so much of the bedroom arts. By far, however, Victor’s favorite was whenever Yuri took over.

Victor’s hands travelled down a little further, about to grab the other man’s buttocks when Yuuri quickly pulled away. The expression on his face had changed into a stern one.

“Victor, no,” his voice matching his expression.

Victor was pouting now.

“Yuuri it’s been months, I’m sorry but I’ve missed you!”

Victor’s words brought about a dull ache in Yuuri’s chest, reminding him of the months that they spent apart. Yes, it had been months. Did Yuuri want to give into Victor here and now? Yes. However, there were certain traditions that they had to abide by still. Also, Yuuri didn’t want Victor seeing his body until he was back in full health.

“I know. I’ve missed you as well. But you know the rule…” he replied, his voice trailing off.

Victor continued to pout, “It’s just a stupid thing that’s been imposed for centuries. But do you know what else was imposed for centuries? Marriage for political benefit. Up until now, love had absolutely nothing to do with marriage for the men in my position. I’ve changed that! So why are we listening to something like this?”

Yuuri chewed on his bottom lip, “Haven’t we rocked the boat enough? I just want to do this right.”

Once again, his face must have betrayed his emotions. Victor could tell that this was simply an excuse. What did Yuuri care about rocking the boat? He’d already agreed to marrying him? His station in life had skyrocketed right to the top. He had beat out several different noblewomen for Victor’s hand. He was a commoner by birth.

“Something’s wrong and you’re not telling me,” Victor commented.

Yuuri frowned, his brows coming together, “Is it so hard to believe that I’d like to follow this one tradition?”

Victor shook his head, “Yuuri, I am to be your husband. I don’t like it when you hide things from me.”

Yuuri almost snorted at his words. Look who was talking.

“If you wait until after we’re married, I promise you that you can keep me in your bed for as long as you desire and I won’t complain,” he proposed, a voice so low and seductive that it sent shivers down Victor’s spine.

Victor let out a whine, “Then can we find a church and get married now? I’m tired of waiting…”

Yuuri let out a small laugh before cupping Victor’s cheek, “In time, my love. Good things come to those who wait.”

In response, Victor stuck out his tongue and huffed like an indignant child.

“Whoever said that wasn’t waiting for you. Fine. Once we get back to the capital, however, I’m going to make sure to set the wedding date at the earliest possible.”

Yuuri nodded his head slowly, “You are the Emperor, after all.”

Victor shrugged, “Can I kiss you, at the very least?”

Yuuri smiled in response, “Do you even need to ask that?”

And Victor pulled him close again, capturing his lips with his own. Yuuri continued to smile. There were definitely issues that they needed to talk about, but all in good time…

* * *

 

The moon was the only thing that lit up the room. Inside was a man, kneeling before the altar, wishing to be left alone. The dilemma that he had been presented with had rendered him sleepless for at least a fortnight. If he could not think of something, a dynasty would crumble. The Patriarch was not so foolish as to openly oppose the emperor’s wishes, not if he wanted to keep his head intact. But allowing the emperor to have his way was foolish. It was dangerous for the Empire as well as for the centuries old dynasty.

He looked up at the chapel windows, gazing up at the heavens. Surely God knew of his frustrations. He had been the Lord’s humblest servant, surely He wouldn’t allow for such wrong to take place.

“If this marriage should come to pass, a centuries old order will collapse. An emperor marrying a commoner is unnatural. Surely You can see that, O Lord. Show me the path out of this…”

The door flung open, much to the old man’s displeasure. He had made it clear that he preferred to be in seclusion when he was in prayer.

“What? What is it?” he grumbled at frustration. It was his messenger. He was shaking, of course he was. He had given specific instructions to everyone not to bother him unless it was important. This had better been one of those cases.

“I’m sorry, Your Holiness, but I was told to bring this to you immediately. I was told to tell you that this is a solution to your problem,” the boy stuttered out, before handing him the message.

The Patriarch raised an eyebrow at the information, but took the message no doubt. He opened the letter and with each line that he read, his annoyed frown turned into a triumphant grin. Yes, this is exactly what he had been looking for. The Lord was kind. He had prayed and this was the answer to his prayers.

“Your Holiness…?”

“It is the answer to our prayers. The Lord is on our side indeed. This is just what we need to stop this unnatural union between an Emperor and a commoner…”

The Patriarch said nothing more and the boy didn’t ask any further questions. The Patriarch just smiled, rereading the document once more. Yes, it had been God’s will for him to find this. In due time, he would reveal this. In due time…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to make this a prologue, setting up the story and some of the problems. The next chapter will be the official chapter 1! Comments and kudos help!
> 
> As for how often I'll update? I'll try doing it bi-monthly. But I'm in university as a Health Major no less, so monthly maybe. With the exception of this chapter, I'll be updating on weekends from now on!
> 
> And a special thanks to my friend Ellie for being my beta. This would have ended up looking a lot more choppy without her!


	2. I. The Dancing Beauty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! So sorry it took this long to update, I had absolutely no motivation to write whatsoever. I suddenly got a burst of creative energy and I was able to bring myself to write this chapter. So a few things: This chapter is the official chapter 1. I was thinking about rewriting the first chapter altogether but decided to leave it and instead make it a prologue. Okay, I won't keep you! More at the end!

**_Two years earlier..._ **

His council was going on about...something. Victor knew that it was imperative that he pay attention, one man alone could not rule such a giant empire on his own. His mind was preoccupied, however, so he didn’t care for whatever they were saying. 

It may have been another military campaign, but what was left to conquer? They had an alliance with their two neighboring kingdoms, they could not invade those. His advisors, however, thought otherwise. A few minor skirmishes at the border they shared with the Kingdom of the Kazakhs, they felt, broke the treaty. Victor would not budge on that. The barely century old alliance between the two powers was already fragile and all out war would prove to be disastrous. 

In any case, politics and war were the furthest thing from his mind. 

His mind was wandering to the night before. Christophe had snuck him out of the palace for one night. He had felt so restless and the burdens of ruling such a massive amount of land with so many people seemed to be proving their weight. 

They were dressed as commoners, no one would ever suspect. The town square was lovely at night. Shops were bustling. Peddlers were trying to sell their goods to the people around them, the townsfolk were haggling, and dancers were performing in the streets. It had been so long since Victor had seen how life could truly be. This is why he dressed in simple clothing. For one night, as Christophe put it, he just wanted to be Victor. 

He was warned not to interact with the vendors, they would not allow him to leave till they’d swindled him for everything he was worth. Yakov had already scolded him for his extravagant spending habits. 

“How about a little dancing?” Christophe pointed to the center, where two men had taken their place, about to start their dance. 

Victor just let Christophe pull him into the crowd of spectators. 

Instantly, Victor’s eyes were fixated on one of the dancers. One of the most beautiful, exquisite creatures he’d ever had the privilege to lay eyes on. The way his body moved to the music that was playing, it looked so natural. His twirling, his steps...nothing was out of place. It seemed like he wasn’t even aware of the effect he was having because he seemed drunk off of his own performance. It ignited something within Victor that he had never felt before. 

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but for a brief moment, he saw his eyes meet his own. In fact, it seemed to happen a few times. The performance ended, the dancers bowing before stepping away. Victor wanted to make his way through the crowd, find the dancer but Christophe held him back. He turned to see Christophe shaking his head in warning. Trying to break Christophe’s hold on his hand, he turned back to see that the dancers had disappeared. 

So here he was now, in the midst of a meeting with council, daydreaming about the lovely dancer he had seen. He didn’t know his name, just his face. Much good that would do him. All he knew, though, was that he had to see him again. He wouldn’t rest until he did. 

“Your Imperial Majesty?” he was pulled from his daydream by the voice of an advisor. 

“Hm?” he responded, making his annoyance known. A few on the council just shook their heads in disapproval. 

“Forgive me. But we would like to know what you have decided to do on the matter of the Kazakhs. The attacks at the border cannot be ignored any longer. We must mobilize troops to-”

Ah. The Kazakhs. This matter again. 

“No. We must not,” he simply answered. 

The objections of at least half of the council could be heard throughout the room. Victor could feel a dull ache in his head at the sound of it. Weren’t advisors supposed to be wise and cautious? When had they become so bloodthirsty? Why had he appointed them? How could he possibly be the only one with a leveled head speaking out? He stood up. 

“A few drunken brawls between border guards is not an attack on our soil. You would have me declare war because we have hot headed fools patrolling our borders. We will switch them out for more disciplined men and I do not wish to speak further on the matter. Dismissed.” 

He walked out of the room, more agitated than usual. He needed to get better men to advise him. He needed  _ them  _ to be better. They would run the Empire into the ground at this rate. War not only meant countless attacks on their soil and lives lost, but heavy taxation on the people. When taxes were too heavy, the people revolted. He could not risk that. He  _ would _ not risk that. 

Some days, he wondered if he could just abdicate. Crown his heir as emperor and retire to a quieter life. He never felt as though he was cut out for this sort of life, yet here he was. He had to play the hand life had dealt him. He cared for the people, he genuinely did. He did what he could for them, but it would never be quite enough. It was impossible to safeguard the common folk while keeping the nobility satisfied. And unfortunately for him, his council was full of the same men whose interests clashed with the good of the majority. 

He was so lost in thought that he hadn’t realized that Christophe walked up behind him. The irritation and troubled expression on Victor’s face told him everything he needed to know about how the meeting had come to pass. This was the one matter that had given Victor the most grief. 

“Trying to talk you into war with the Kazakhs again?” it wasn’t really a question, rather a comment. 

“What do you think?” he groaned, massaging his temples. 

“It benefits them, you know? Most of the men on the council govern over the lands closest to that border. Conquering the Kazakhs means more power and wealth for them,” Christophe explained, as if Victor wasn’t aware. 

He was very aware of the intentions. He couldn’t dismiss them or alienate them, though. His power wasn’t God Given, no matter what nonsense his ancestors had spouted to the common folk. His power rested purely on the support of his nobles. He had to keep them happy, meaning keeping them in power. He cursed the day that he was born into this position. 

“Take me to the town square again tonight,” he whispered, intentionally keeping his voice low so that he would not be heard. 

Christophe frowned, “That was a one time thing, Victor.” 

Victor huffed and pouted, “Then I will go myself. Either you will take me or I go on my own. Either way, I am going.” 

Very rarely had Christophe seen Victor so determined about something. Everything seemed to come so naturally to him, but this was an entirely different matter altogether. This was a matter of the heart, he was sure. Well, a matter of a region much lower on the body would be more accurate, but it had Victor riled up. 

“Very well,” he conceded. “Meet me in the same place as last night. And please, don’t let anyone see you.”

* * *

They had gone to the town square a lot sooner than the previous day. Christophe could almost not keep up. Victor was terrible at hiding his affections, he’d always been. This, however, was different. Victor had never been so eager. Christophe could make a lewd comment, as he normally did, but given the look on Victor’s face, he found it best to keep his mouth shut. 

They couldn’t risk taking their horses, so they had walked into town. The town was about 2 kilometers out from the palace and in the late summer nights, it was almost pleasant. Almost. 

The streets were still bustling as the shops around the town’s square began closing for the night. They were drawing attention, some women had turned around to see the unusually handsome young man walking along the streets. Victor seemed oblivious to it all, of course he was. He had a one-track mind. Once he set his attention to something, the outside world was of no concern to him. 

The town square was beginning to fill up, though not anywhere near the capacity it was at the previous night. The dancers weren’t there yet, who knew if they would even show up at all? Christophe put a hand on Victor’s shoulder. 

“The dancers don’t come out every night,” he said, quietly. 

“I’ll take my chances,” was the only reply Victor gave him. He watched the center of the square intently, as if the dancers would materialize if he looked hard enough. 

Night was beginning to fall and there was still no sign of them. 

“Chris, am I being foolish?” Victor asked, after a long silence. Christophe said nothing. Best friend or not, Victor was still his Emperor. But if he was being truthful, yes, he was being foolish. 

“I can’t get him out of my head. All day up until this moment, he’s the only thing that comes to mind. I don’t know his name or where he’s from. I just know his face. But I’ll be driven to madness if I don’t see him again,” Victor went on, not waiting for the answer. 

“He was beautiful,” Christophe agreed. “But there is no shortage of beauty in this world.” 

He was speaking frankly, while the dancer had been beautiful, he was more of an average beauty. He couldn’t fathom exactly what drew Victor to him. 

“No. But he’s different,” Victor said, as if reading his thoughts. Different answered absolutely nothing, but he dared not say anything. Infatuation could not be reasoned with. 

They waited a moment longer before they came to the conclusion that there would be no dancing tonight. Christophe just placed a hand on Victor’s shoulder. 

“If I see him again, I’ll ask him to the palace and…” but Victor just shrugged his hand off. He was in no mood to talk. Christophe sighed. Knowing Victor, he would be like this for a few days. 

“Come. Let’s see what they have in the market?” he offered. 

Victor didn’t respond but he allowed Christophe to lead him. The marketplace of the capital was one of the largest and busiest in the Empire. It was a little ways from the square, but it was still bustling at night. There were products from all over the Empire, food that neither men were very familiar with. Victor didn’t seem the least bit interested, despite Christophe’s efforts. 

They were stopped by a crowd, that could only mean one thing. Entertainment. From the uproar and yelling, it was a fight. Victor sighed, he wasn’t a fan of violence. If Christophe hadn’t explained that most of these fights were staged, Victor would’ve actually gone out of the way to try and stop it. As they made their way to the front, it was two grown men and a woman collecting bets. Victor rolled his eyes, completely uninterested. He wasn’t going to be able to stop it, even if he tried. Blowing his cover wasn’t an option and neither man seemed to be interested in getting out. 

As he stared blankly on, he felt someone get shoved into him. He turned around, only to be met with a slightly shorter figure, dressed in a brown robe, a hood obscuring the view of his face. 

“I’m sorry, so sorry!” the person apologized. From the sounds of it, it was a man and he had a heavy accent. He was obviously not from the capital, but possibly from the Eastern Reaches. 

“No, don’t worry it’s-” Victor stopped when he caught a glimpse under the man’s hood. His breath stopped. It was him! It was the dancer! But what was he doing out here? He wasn’t looking at him at all. 

“I’ll just get out of your way,” he whispered quietly before attempting to slip away. 

Oh no. Not again, he wasn’t allowing him to get away from him again. 

“Wait!” he shouted after the man, pushing his way through the crowd. He got some offended grunts, curses, and growls as he did so, but he didn’t care. 

“Where are you going?” Christophe’s voice rang out behind him, but he didn’t have the luxury of looking back to answer him. 

They had exited the crowd and Victor found himself chasing the stranger through the streets. 

“Wait! Please, I only wish to speak with you!” he called out, feeling disheartened with every step. He wasn’t quite sure what he’d do if he was rejected right here. 

The man continued to run further until he peered back at Victor. His eyes widened, as if he recognized him. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t watch where he was going. It was a small rock but he found himself tripping. Victor thanked God for his fast reflexes as he ran forward and wrapped his arms around him. 

The man had squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the impact but was shocked to see that he had been stopped midway. The strong arms wrapped around him didn’t register with him right away but when it did, he turned around, his warm brown eyes widened once again. 

“It’s you!” he exclaimed breathlessly. 

Victor smiled softly, nodding his head. “Yes, I have you. Are you alright?” 

The man continued to stare up at him in amazement without answering. Victor was beginning to grow concerned. 

“I-I am…” he answered softly. 

Victor sighed in relief. At least there was that. 

“What is your name?” he asked, helping the dancer back up to his feet. 

“Yuuri,” he replied. 

Victor cracked a smile then. He had the same name as his heir, interesting. It was a beautiful name, it seemed to suit him. 

“Vitya. You can call me Vitya…” 

Victor had always thought it, but now he was sure of it. There was something special about the man in front of him. No matter how he’d do it, he wanted to know who he was. He wanted to know everything about him. And this was just the first step…

* * *

**_Present Day_ **

Victor enjoyed his morning walks around Yuuri’s village. Being Emperor, he was early to rise and didn’t sleep till late at night. His body had gotten used to it, even as he was away from affairs of state. People bowed and smiled as he walked by them to which he responded with a smile and polite nod. The villagers were simple and polite. None of it was disingenuous. He could see where his Yuuri got his sweet but honest nature from. If he could be born into another life, he would’ve been born into this. He wondered if it was too late to abdicate and retire to a life like this. 

The village was isolated by a forest to the west and the sea to the east. The nearest town was a day’s ride, but the people seemed to get by just fine. They took kindly to outsiders, but that might have just been because he was their Emperor. Even so, Victor doubted that these people had a hostile bone in their bodies. Perhaps he should replace the men on his council with the people of this town. 

He looked out into the sea, smiling. He watched the sun peak over the horizon. He had never truly taken the time to appreciate the dawn or the morning sea. His palace overlooked the sea, but he had never properly stopped to enjoy it. Being emperor, however, didn’t give him that luxury. Meeting and loving Yuuri had allowed him to experience a wide range of new things and that was something he could not take for granted. He wanted to be able to feel these things for the rest of his life and he could only do it if Yuuri was by his side. 

The sound of frantic galloping could be heard to him then, removing him from his peaceful musings. He frowned as the man on the horse, a messenger galloped up to him. Of course, being Emperor, he would never know peace for too long. 

“Forgive me, Your Imperial Majesty, but I come with an urgent message,” he announced, sticking out a scroll with an official seal from the palace on it. 

He sighed as he took the scroll, “Thank you.” 

He ripped open the seal, doubting that the message was so urgent that it needed his attention urgently. Perhaps it was another squabble between nobles. 

_ Vitya,  _

_ The Patriarch requests you return to the capital. The matter is urgent. _

_ — Yakov  _

 

Ah, the Patriarch. But of course it would be him to rip him away from his happy world. That man hated him and everything he loved, so of course he would summon him back. He doubted anything that the man could demand warranted his attention. He couldn’t disobey, however. This was The Patriarch, the religious leader of the entire Empire. He held just as much, if not more, power over his rule. If Yakov said it was urgent, Victor believed him. He may overreact when it came to his frivolity, but not in matters of state or religion. He needed to go back. 

Additionally, he finally remembered the one important matter that he had forgotten when he had decided to come after Yuuri. The matter he should have taken care of after he had decided that he would take Yuuri as his consort. 

“Before you ride off...there’s an important message I need to get to Yakov.  _ This  _ matter cannot wait…”

* * *

Yuuri stirred, the cold morning air hitting his skin full force. He grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around himself ever so tightly. Despite summer being quickly upon them, the morning air was chilly. Perhaps more so than he remembered from his childhood. 

His mind drifted back off to sleep, off to a happy dream world where it was just him and Victor. None of the complications that came with power, no one to tell them that he wasn’t worthy of his lover, just the two of them, happily in love. 

His dream didn’t last long as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“Yuuri? Love? Wake up,” Victor’s voice was quiet, gentle. There was a little guilt in his voice too, probably for trying to wake him up. 

“Mmm, Victor,” his groggy voice made his words nearly unintelligible. 

He opened his eyes, his sleep addled brain barely being able to register Victor’s face. His limbs ached as well. He’d gotten used to waking up like that, in the months that he and Victor were apart. 

Once he was a little more awake, he could make out the look on Victor’s face. Agitation, concern, urgency, as well as another emotion Yuuri couldn’t make out. It was rare that Yuuri couldn’t tell what Victor was feeling. 

“Vic..tor?” he raised his arm to place his hand on his lover’s cheek. Victor leaned into the touch ever so slightly. 

“We have to leave for the capital today, love. There is a matter that apparently couldn’t wait…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Okay so I guess I'll just explain a few things right away. This world is an alternative to our own. The names of Empires and Kingdoms are borrowed from real life ones, but the geography as well as the land is completely different from our own. Names like "The Holy Russian Empire" and "Kingdom of the Kazakhs" are just the ones I stuck with because I suck at coming up with names. Hope that doesn't offend anyone! Again, the only thing from Justinian and Theodora that I took is how they came to be, dancer marries Emperor and becomes a badass powerhouse. Just making sure we all know that. 
> 
> So this chapter sets up a plot point that'll be important down the road. A couple of them actually. Next chapter, there'll be a lot more characters coming in. 
> 
> Again, comments and kudos help a ton! And thanks a bunch to my friend Ellie for reading over and editing the chapter! And thank you to everyone who subscribed to this fic! You're all awesome!

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is [anglmukhii](http://anglmukhii.tumblr.com) if you'd like to chat! :)


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